Business: Regulation

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to reduce the regulatory burden on small businesses.

Mark Prisk: A number of steps are being taken:
	This month the Prime Minister asked Lord Young to look at what this Government can do to make life easier for small businesses. This will include examining ways in which the government can remove barriers to growth and remove or minimise regulatory and bureaucratic burdens on business.
	Recently, the Better Regulation Executive, published a report 'Lightening the Load' which highlights the cumulative regulatory burden affecting the smallest businesses-the findings will feed into Lord Young's review.
	The BRE is actively working with departments to identify regulation which is overly burdensome, particularly on small businesses, and support policy makers in using non-regulatory approaches.
	The BRE are also undertaking a series of regional visits, speaking to SMEs all over the country to further identify ways to improve the business environment.
	In September, the Government introduced the One-in, One-out rule-a significant step in stemming the flow of regulation and will focus Whitehall's attention on finding alternatives to regulation.

Cement: EU Action

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the likely effects on competition in the European cement industry of the European Commission's proposal for a hybrid clinker benchmark for Phase III of the European Union Emissions Trading scheme.

Mark Prisk: The European Commission's proposal for the free allocation rules for Phase III of the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) was sent to member states on 22 October. My officials, along with officials from the Department for Energy and Climate Change, are in the process of analysing the proposal in detail in order to assess its impact on UK industry, including competitiveness issues. I have met with representatives from the UK cement sector in order to discuss the proposal and ensure that we have a full understanding of the implications of the proposed approach. Officials from both departments will also be having discussions with the European Commission on this issue.

Cement: EU Action

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what  (a) meetings and  (b) discussions his Department has had with representatives of cement producers who do not manufacture cement in the UK on the proposed hybrid clinker benchmark for Phase III of the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme.

Mark Prisk: The European Commission's proposal for the free allocation rules for Phase III of the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) was sent to member states on 22 October, including the proposed hybrid clinker benchmark. There have been no meetings with cement producers who do not manufacture in the UK about this proposed hybrid approach.
	Officials have met with Holcim, who do not manufacture cement in the UK, on two occasions in January and February 2010. These meetings were about the broad issue of cement benchmarking, rather than the currently proposed hybrid approach.

Cement: EU Action

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the likely effects on the UK ready-mix concrete industry of the European Commission's proposal for a hybrid clinker benchmark for Phase III of the European Union Emissions Trading scheme.

Mark Prisk: The European Commission's proposal for the free allocation rules for Phase III of the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) was sent to member states on 22 October. My officials, along with officials from the Department for Energy and Climate Change, are in the process of analysing the proposal in detail in order to assess its impact, including the effects on the UK ready-mix concrete industry. I have met with representatives from the UK cement sector in order to discuss the proposal and ensure that we have a full understanding of the implications of the proposed approach. Officials from both departments will also be having discussions with the European Commission on this issue.

Green Investment Bank

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding from the sale of Government assets he expects to be allocated to the proposed Green Investment Bank.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 11 November 2010
	We are unable to provide commercially sensitive information on expected proceeds from individual asset sales at this stage. However, at an aggregate level, the Government are confident that the asset sales it is considering will be sufficient to provide significant additional funding above the £1 billion allocated to the Green Investment from departmental budgets. It will make further announcements on this funding stream in due course.

Green Investment Bank

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether the proceeds from the sale of High Speed 1 are to be used as start-up capital for his Department's proposed Green Investment Bank.

Mark Prisk: We are unable to provide commercially sensitive information on expected proceeds from individual asset sales at this stage. However, at an aggregate level, the Government are confident that the asset sales it is considering will be sufficient to provide significant additional funding above the £1 billion allocated to the Green Investment from departmental budgets. It will make further announcements on this funding stream in due course.

Northwest Regional Development Agency: Assets

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the current monetary value of properties owned by the North West Development Agency; and what advice he has received on  (a) the amount (i) likely to be realised by an early sale of those properties and (ii) which might be realised if a sale was delayed and  (b) alternative uses for those properties.

Mark Prisk: The current value of properties owned by the North West Development Agency, as for all other RDAs, is currently under review. It is not possible at present to estimate the extent of receipts arising from the disposal of the assets of the regional development agencies as decisions have yet to be made on the scope and timing of any sale. No decision has yet been made on any specific asset and no dates have been set for the transfer or disposal of specific assets and liabilities other than ordinary disposals.

Overseas Trade: India and China

Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to support access for UK technology companies to new markets in  (a) India and  (b) China; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: The coalition Government have committed to enhanced partnerships with emerging powers, including India and China, with trade and investment at the centre of our prosperity and growth. This includes maximising our comparative advantages, including for world-class UK technology companies.
	We have ongoing Government to Government dialogue with India and China through the respective Joint Economic Trade Committee, and Commission. By this process, we are seeking greater access for UK companies, including SMEs. In addition, we continue to provide advice, support and expertise through UK Trade and Investment to help our firms access these markets.
	Specifically for the technology sector, UKTI has been running campaigns in China and India to enable UK technology companies to access supply chain opportunities with large overseas customers.
	The Prime Minister has also launched the global Technology Taskforce which, with £15 million of funding, will recruit the very best technology companies and talent to Britain and help entrepreneurial and innovative start-ups in the UK to internationalise.

Personnel: Drugs

Jackie Doyle-Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what regulations govern the ability of employers to conduct workplace tests for alcohol and drugs on employees.

Mark Prisk: There is no legislation specifically governing the ability of employers in general to conduct alcohol and drug tests on their employees. It is a criminal offence for some workers in certain sectors, such as train drivers for example, to be unfit to work through the use of drinks or drugs. Professional associations may also impose sanctions on their members.
	Testing for alcohol and drugs cannot be carried out without an employee's consent. When employers collect personal information about their employees through drug or alcohol testing, this will be subject to the Data Protection Act. The Information Commissioner has produced an Employment Practices Code including guidance on alcohol and drug testing in the workplace which can be found at:
	www.ico.gov.uk

Radio Frequencies

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 28 October 2010,  Official Report, column 458W, on public expenditure, who is undertaking the work to identify spectrum suitable for release; and what representations he has received on the proposed release of public sector spectrum.

Edward Vaizey: Work to create an appropriate governance structure to manage the process of release and an implementation timetable is currently under way, led by the Shareholder Executive and the Treasury. Once this is approved by Ministers, expected to be no later than March 2011, we will be able to give more detail on how the work to identify spectrum will be taken forward.
	Current discussions involve the relevant departments, particularly MoD and Ofcom. To date I have received no representations from outside Government.

Regional Growth Fund

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what support his Department is providing  (a) for small enterprises and  (b) to create employment prior to the implementation of the Regional Growth Fund.

Mark Prisk: A number of measures are being undertaken with the purpose of stimulating growth which is targeting support for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).
	As the regional development agencies are decommissioned I will introduce a new and flexible delivery system which will include a national website, a national contact centre and access to mentors which should help SMEs to grow. I also intend to establish a network of Growth Hubs in England to support businesses with high growth potential.
	The Government will provide highly focused support to SMEs through a renewed and streamlined portfolio of business improvement products through Solutions for Business to be launched by this Department by April 2011.
	We are establishing Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) as set out in the white paper on Local Growth. This will involve local business and civic leaders working together to drive economic growth and create new jobs in their communities.
	The coalition Government have articulated their ambition to ensure the flow of credit to viable SMEs. The Government have published their response to the consultation on business finance issues, "Financing a private sector recovery". It is available at:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/businessfinance
	Government are aware of the need to support small enterprises and we have set out our strategy "Backing small business" which is available at:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/backing-small-business
	Among other measures, we have confirmed our intention to continue the Enterprise Finance Guarantee scheme until 2014-15, providing up to £600 million of additional commercial lending to around 6,000 Small and Medium Enterprises next year alone and over £2 billion in total over the next four years, subject to demand.
	We have also undertaken to continue the programme of Enterprise Capital Funds by increasing our commitment by £200 million over the next four years, providing more than £300 million of investment for early stage innovative SMEs.
	The Regional Growth Fund was launched on 28 October with the publication of the Local Growth White Paper, 'Local growth: realising every place's potential'. It is available at:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/news/topstories/2010/Oct/local-growth
	Prior to the implementation of the Regional Growth Fund Government intends to pursue its strategy as stated in "Backing small business" to promote small business procurement by aspiring to award 25% of Government contracts to SMEs.
	We also intend to continue to support those starting a business by making it easier for new entrants to enter market faster and enabling persons on jobseeker's allowance and in social housing to move into self-employment.

Science: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will assess the effect on gross domestic product of a reduction of £1 billion in science funding from his Department in the comprehensive spending review period.

David Willetts: The comprehensive spending review 2010 (CSR 2010) maintains constant cash funding for science programmes through to 2014-15. While there is a significant literature base examining the link between government science funding and its effect on GDP, it is extremely difficult to derive specific estimates of the income effects of particular changes in science funding. As with all savings being made in the BIS settlement, within the science budget, we are working closely with research councils and HEFCE to deliver savings as far as possible through a combination of reform and efficiencies, for example through the Wakeham proposals to incentivise efficiency in university research.

Students: Fees and Charges

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effects on the number of students deferring entry to higher education from 2011 until 2012 of the increase in the cap on tuition fees in 2012.

John Hayes: Statistics on deferred entry to Higher Education are available via the University and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). In 2010 479,057 applicants accepted a place; 32,983 of these deferred entry to 2011. This covers applicants from all domiciles to all UK institutions.
	It is still very early in the UCAS application cycle for entry in 2011 or beyond, so no information is held on the extent of deferred entry. Applicants can make up to five choices on their application form and this can include courses which start in 2011 or 2012.

Students: Fees and Charges

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effects on organisations that operate gap-year placement programmes of the likely reduction in demand for such placements in 2011 resulting from the increase in the cap on tuition fees in 2012.

John Hayes: A relatively small number of prospective students apply each year for deferred entry to higher education, including those who decide to undertake a gap year. Statistics on deferred entry to higher education are available via the University and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). In 2010, 479,057 applicants accepted a place; 32,983 of these deferred entry to 2011. UCAS have sent a message to those who have applied for 2012 entry alerting them to the Government's recent announcement about future funding for higher education, directing them to the BIS website for additional information and suggesting further discussion with their preferred university. The decision to defer entry to higher education is not generally taken lightly and there will be a number of considerations that individuals will, doubtless, take into account. It is not possible to say at this stage whether any of those who have applied for deferred entry will seek to reapply for 2011 and so no assessment has been made of the impact on gap-year placement organisations.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much his Department spent on hospitality for events hosted by each of its Ministers in  (a) September and  (b) October 2010.

John Penrose: All expenditure on hospitality is made in accordance with published departmental guidance, based on the principles set out in Managing Public Money.
	Hospitality was provided for one event in September, an official function hosted by Hugh Robertson at a cost of £220.50.

Departmental Policy

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what departmental policy reviews his Department has undertaken since 6 May 2010; on what date each such review  (a) was announced and  (b) is expected to publish its findings; what estimate he has made of the cost of each such review; who has been appointed to lead each such review; to what remuneration each review leader is entitled; how many (i) full-time equivalent civil servants and (ii) seconded staff are working on each such review; from which organisations such staff have been seconded; and how much on average such seconded staff will be paid for their work on the review.

John Penrose: All of the Department's arm's-length-bodies were reviewed in the lead up to the spending review announcements in October, using existing resources. On 8 June, the Secretary of State announced that Nicholas Shott had been appointed to carry out an independent and pro bono assessment of the conditions necessary for commercially viable local television to emerge in the UK. He receives no remuneration from the Department but receives some support from four full-time equivalent DCMS officials who are working on the DCMS local TV project. Nicholas Shott presented the Secretary of State with his initial findings on 24 September, which can be found on the DCMS website at:
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/images/publications/NShott_InterimFindingsLocalTV_240910.pdf
	Nicholas Shott's final conclusions are expected to be published in December 2011. On 20 July the hon. Member for Bath (Mr Foster) was asked to review abandoned betting accounts and other unclaimed winnings. He is not being paid to lead the review, and is working with two civil servants as part of their existing daily role. The report will look at how much money is left abandoned in betting accounts and uncover the value of unclaimed winning tickets, defining "dormant" and looking at how these funds could potentially benefit local communities through investment in sport. The report will be published by the end of 2010.
	Also, on 19 July Tim Lamb, chief executive of the Central Council of Physical Recreation (CCPR) was commissioned to review both its voluntary code of conduct for sports broadcasting, with a view to generating a funding boost to grassroots sport, and the bureaucracy affecting sport. No civil servants work on these reviews and they have no direct cost to DCMS. The reports are expected to be published by the end of November and by the end of February 2011 respectively.

Atomic Weapons Establishment

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) permanent staff,  (b) temporary staff and  (c) contractors were employed at the Atomic Weapons Establishment in each of the last three years; and how many such staff he expects to be employed at the establishment in each of the next three years.

Peter Luff: The numbers of staff employed at the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) in the last three years are provided in the following table.
	
		
			   Permanent staff  Contractors  Temporary staff 
			 2010 4,700 980 0 
			 2009 4,790 970 0 
			 2008 4,690 840 0 
		
	
	All figures represent full time equivalent staff, and are as of the end of March in each year. The figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. These staff are employed by either AWE plc or their sub-contractors.
	Based on current planning assumptions, AWE plc staffing targets for the next three years are approximately 4,700 permanent full-time equivalent staff, no temporary staff and 1,000 'integrated personnel', who are contractors employed by AWE plc for a fixed term to provide specific skills and expertise.

Public Expenditure

David Mowat: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what his Department's capital expenditure per head was in  (a) London and  (b) the North West in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how much and what proportion of his Department's capital expenditure was allocated to  (a) London and  (b) the North West in each of the last five financial years.

Liam Fox: We do not have sufficiently complete data to make a calculation based on the Ministry of Defence (MOD)'s entire capital departmental expenditure limit, our usual measure of capital expenditure. The MOD's equipment expenditure does, however, account for much of the MOD's capital departmental expenditure limit.
	We have, therefore, made per capita estimates of the MOD's equipment expenditure by Government office region for the five financial years up to and including 2007-08 as follows:
	
		
			   £ per capita equipment expenditure 
			  Financial year  London( 1)  north-west( 2) 
			 2003-04 50 275 
			 2004-05 38 246 
			 2005-06 36 234 
			 2006-07 32 272 
			 2007-08 36 247 
			 (1) The figures quoted are in near cash at current prices and include non-recoverable VAT but exclude indirect expenditure such as on subcontracted work. (2) The per capita calculation is based on MOD contract expenditure on equipment. This includes expenditure on research and development, manufacture and maintenance, including fighting equipment and communications. Information on the location of the primary work activity on each contract has been used to estimate this expenditure by Government office region. 
		
	
	We have made estimates of our capital expenditure by Government office region for the five financial years up to and including 2007-08 as follows:
	
		
			   £ million expenditure  Proportion of near cash capital expenditure( 2)  (percentage) 
			  Financial year  (a)London  (b) North-west  (a) London  (b) North-west 
			 2003-04 370 1,871 6.3 31.7 
			 2004-05 278 1,678 4.3 25.7 
			 2005-06 271 1,599 4.0 23.4 
			 2006-07 241 1,861 3.3 25.9 
			 2007-08 274 1,697 3.5 21.4 
			 (1) Near cash at current prices including non-recoverable VAT. The figures exclude indirect expenditure such as on subcontracted work. (2) We define capital expenditure as the MOD's capital departmental expenditure limit which includes investment in equipment and infrastructure that has a life over more than one financial year (e.g. ships, buildings and aircraft). 
		
	
	We stopped making estimates of regional direct expenditure after 2007-08 as they do not directly support our policy making or military operations and are time consuming to compile. We do, however, continue to assess the employment effects of MOD decisions on individual defence projects and defence establishments.
	The MOD does not allocate funding on a regional basis. The industrial and economic implications of investment decisions are one factor among many in our decision-making processes, which are driven predominantly by the need to meet military requirements in a cost-effective manner, regardless of where items are procured or MOD personnel located.

Schools: Admissions

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  how many children born in  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2006 resident in (i) Essex local authority area and (ii) Colchester constituency have not been allocated a school place for September 2010; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many children born in  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2006 have not been allocated a school place for September 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The Department does not collect information on the numbers of children in individual local authority areas that have not been allocated school places. We are keenly aware that in many areas of the country there are sharp increases in demand for primary places. On 5 July, the Secretary of State announced a review of all the Department's capital programmes. We are clear that future spending needs to be more efficient and with a sharper focus on real needs. The Secretary of State has also said that providing funding to support the provision of pupil places where they are needed will be a priority for the next spending review period. We will announce allocations to local authorities in due course.

Energy: Prices

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate he has made of the average  (a) gas and  (b) electricity bill in each nation and region of the UK.

Charles Hendry: Price data and therefore bill data, broken down for the nations and regions are not available for industrial and other non-domestic consumers.
	For the domestic sector, data on energy prices are published by DECC in Quarterly Energy Prices:
	http://decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/publications/prices/prices.aspx
	Copies of DECC's Quarterly Energy Prices are also available in the House of Commons Library.
	Domestic bills are available on a nation and regional basis. Electricity prices for England and Wales are not available separately, as data are collected by Public Electricity Supply (PES) area, and some of these areas straddle the England/Wales border. DECC does not publish average gas price and bill data for Northern Ireland, as gas is not widely available.
	 Data for the nations
	For 2010, average provisional bills for gas and electricity for domestic consumers were as follows:
	
		
			  Electricity (bill based on annual consumption of 3,300 kWh) 
			  £ 
			   Standard credit  Direct debit  Pre-payment 
			 England and Wales 437 394 441 
			 Scotland 458 413 478 
			 Northern Ireland 496 456 483 
		
	
	
		
			  Gas (bill based on annual consumption of 18,000 kWh) 
			  £ 
			   Standard credit  Direct debit  Pre-payment 
			 England and Wales 684 633 688 
			 Scotland 674 620 690 
			 Wales 674 635 682 
		
	
	 Regional data
	Data by PES region for electricity and by LDZ (Local Distribution Zone) region for gas are published in Quarterly Energy Prices tables 2.2.3 and 2.3.3 respectively.

Cyprus

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to encourage a settlement on Cyprus.

David Lidington: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the House on 9 November 2010,  Official Report, column 128, namely that at both ministerial and official level, we are urging the leaders of the Greek Cypriot community, President Christofias, and of the Turkish Cypriot community, Mr Eroglu, to demonstrate leadership, flexibility and willingness to compromise in the interests of everybody living on the island of Cyprus. We welcome the decision by both leaders to attend the meeting with Ban Ki-moon on 18 November. We remain in very close contact not just with the Governments of Cyprus and of Turkey, but with Mr Downer, the UN special envoy, and we will lend whatever support we are able to in the hope of bringing the negotiations to a successful conclusion.

Iraq: Christianity

Conor Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the government of Iraq on the recent killing of Christians in that country; and what response he has received in respect of the safety of Christians and their freedom to worship in that country.

David Lidington: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary met with Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari on Wednesday 10 November and raised the issue of Christians in Iraq. Zebari confirmed that the Iraqi government will safeguard the rights and freedoms of all minorities in Iraq.
	Our ambassador to Iraq met with the Iraqi Minister for Human Rights on Thursday 11 November and raised our concerns with her.
	In the wake of the attack on the Our Lady of Salvation Church in Baghdad on 31 October, the Iraqi Prime Minister called on the armed forces and the security forces to remain on maximum alert, and to exert maximum efforts to secure mosques, churches and all places of worship.
	My hon. Friend Alistair Burt released the following statement on the attack:
	"I utterly condemn the attack against Our Lady of Salvation Church in Baghdad. My thoughts are with the families and friends of all those that have been killed or injured in this tragic event. I urge the Iraqi authorities do all they can to bring to justice those who are responsible for this attack on innocent worshippers, and all Iraq's politicians and diverse communities to work together to tackle the threat of violent extremism."

Sri Lanka: Armed Conflict

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions  (a) he,  (b) other Ministers in his Department and  (c) officials in the British High Commission in Sri Lanka have had on the internment conditions of alleged ex-combatants; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: We are concerned about the lack of humanitarian access to former combatants and the continued lack of clarity over their legal status. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and I raised these concerns with the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister during his visit to the UK on 19/20 October. Our High Commissioner in Colombo regularly raises these issues with the Sri Lankan Government. We hope that the interim recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission, seeking a speedy resolution of cases relating to detainees and information on their whereabouts can be acted on promptly.

United Arab Emirates: Foreign Policy

Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his foreign policy objectives are for the United Arab Emirates.

Alistair Burt: The Government are strongly committed to elevating our relations with all our partners across the Gulf including the United Arab Emirates. This is a key priority for this Government, as demonstrated by the visit of the my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to Abu Dhabi in June, the announcement of the establishment of the UK/UAE Taskforce in July and engagement of Ministers across Government under the Gulf Initiative.
	We are expanding our existing cooperation in defence and security, trade and investment, energy, foreign policy co-operation, culture, sport and education. High-level visits such as the State Visit of Her Majesty The Queen to Abu Dhabi later this month celebrate and help develop our partnerships.

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 1 November 2010,  Official Report, columns 626-7W, on abortion, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of extracting the data for 1984 and 1985; and if he will make a statement .

Anne Milton: The estimated cost for extracting this data for 1984 and 1985 is £1,437 (plus VAT).

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to his Department's announcement of 1 November 2010 on the future role of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, whether the cost-effectiveness element of the health technology appraisal will be phased out prior to the planned introduction of value-based pricing.

Simon Burns: Prior to the proposed introduction of value-based drug pricing from January 2014, we expect that the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) will continue to appraise the clinical and cost-effectiveness of specific drugs and treatments.
	Our plans for value-based pricing aim to ensure that clinically effective drugs are also cost-effective, with the national health service paying a price that reflects the value of a drug to patients. As we develop and implement our plans for value-based drug pricing, NICE'S role will inevitably evolve with NICE continuing to have an important advisory role, including in assessing the clinical benefits of new medicines. We will be consulting shortly on our plans for value-based pricing.

Counter-terrorism

Edward Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her Department's budget for counter-terrorism policing is in 2010-11.

Theresa May: holding answer 8 November 2010
	 The Home Office budget for counter terrorism policing in 2010-11 is £569 million.

Adaptation Fund

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is to process donations received from the public intended for the UN Adaptation Fund; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Mitchell: We do not have the legal authority to accept donations from the public. We have written to the World Development Movement to ask them to accept them on our behalf.
	Alternatively, DFID will have to surrender the donations to the Treasury, or deal with them at an unofficial level and divert the money to a local charity (in accordance with Treasury advice).

Departmental Policy

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what departmental policy reviews his Department has undertaken since 6 May 2010; on what date each such review  (a) was announced and  (b) is expected to publish its findings; what estimate he has made of the cost of each such review; who has been appointed to lead each such review; to what remuneration each review leader is entitled; how many (i) full-time equivalent civil servants and (ii) seconded staff are working on each such review; from which organisations such staff have been seconded; and how much on average such seconded staff will be paid for their work on the review.

Andrew Mitchell: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 13 October 2010,  Official Report column 349W, which outlines the reviews I have launched since 6 May 2010.
	The Bilateral Aid Review (BAR) was announced on 16 June 2010, the Multilateral Aid Review (MAR) on 9 June 2010 and the Humanitarian Emergency Response Review (HERR) on 14 July 2010. All three reviews will report in early 2011 as set out in the Department for International Development's (DFID's) Structural Reform Plan.
	To date £137,000 has been committed for the BAR and £62,000 for the MAR. The HERR is estimated to cost £437,711.
	The team coordinating the BAR consist of three full-time civil servants and one part-time civil servant (working on the review 80% of their time), while the MAR team is made up of three full time civil servants and one part time civil servant (working on the review 60% of their time). Two external reviewers are also acting as peer reviewers during the course of the MAR. The HERR secretariat consists of three full-time civil servants, two part-time civil servants (working on the review 60% and 80% of their time) and one part-time seconded staff member from the Development Assistance Research Associates (DARA) (working on the review 50% of their time). We are unable to provide details of remuneration received by this secondee as the number of staff involved is fewer than five. Staff across DFID are also providing inputs into all three reviews and it is, therefore, not possible to determine the total number of officials working on these reviews without incurring disproportionate cost.
	Lord Ashdown has been appointed as Chair of the HERR and is not receiving remuneration for his role. The BAR team leader is a DFID Deputy Director, while the MAR is being overseen by the Director of DFID's International Financial Division. In line with the Coalition Government's transparency commitments, DFID is now publishing salary details of its senior civil servants in the format agreed with the Cabinet Office, which can be accessed at:
	https://www.dfid.gov.uk/About-DFI D/Our-organisation1/Top-salaries/

Fraud: Prosecutions

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many prosecutions for the use of fraudulent identity documents there were in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many prosecutions for the use of fraudulent identity documents following traffic accidents there were in each of the last five years.

Crispin Blunt: The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for selected fraud offences, England and Wales from 2005 to 2009 (latest available) can be viewed in the following table.
	The Ministry of Justice's Court Proceedings Database holds information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales. The data held do not include the circumstances of each case beyond those specified in the statute and fraud offences do not specify whether fraudulent documents were produced following a traffic accident.
	Court proceedings data for 2010 are planned for publication in 2011.
	
		
			  Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates' courts for selected fraud offences( 1) , England and Wales, 2005 - 09( 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) 
			   Number proceeded against 
			 2005 1,647 
			 2006 1,982 
			 2007 7,401 
			 2008(4) 10,090 
			 2009 12,546 
			 (1) Includes offences under the following statutes:  Identity Cards Act 2006, s.25(1), (2) and (6) With intent knowingly possessing or falsely or improperly obtaining another's ID document.  Identity Cards Act 2006, s.25(3), (4) and (6) With intent making, possessing or having under control apparatus or article or material designed or adapted for making false ID cards.  Identity Cards Act 2006, s.25(5) and (7) Possessing or controlling a false or improperly obtained ID card or which relates to another or apparatus etc for making false ID cards.  Fraud Act 2006, s.1(2a), (3) and (4) and 2 Dishonestly making a false representation to make a gain for oneself or another or to cause loss to another or to expose another to a risk. 
			  Fraud Act 2006, s.6 Possession etc. of articles for use in frauds.  Fraud Act 2006, s.7 Making, adapting, supplying or offering to supply any article knowing that it is designed or adapted for use in the course of or in connection with fraud, or intending it to be used to commit or facilitate fraud.  Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994 Fraud, forgery etc. associated with registration and licensing documents. (2) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (4) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates' court for April, July and August 2008. (5) Identity Cards Act 2006 came into force in June 2006. (6) Fraud Act 2006 came into force in January 2007.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services-Ministry of Justice.

Legal Services Commission

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases have been brought against the Legal Services Commission (LSC) since May 2010 in relation to tendering for legal aid; how much the LSC has spent defending these cases; how many cases the LSC has lost; how many working hours have been spent on these cases; and how many more cases are due to be heard.

Jonathan Djanogly: It is not possible to answer the question in the exact format requested as the information is not held in such a way by the Legal Services Commission (LSC), which is responsible for the operational delivery of legal aid.
	The following figures are all as of 10 November 2010.
	The LSC has had 41 claims issued against it since May 2010 in relation to the tender process for the new legal aid contracts.
	Of those 41 issued claims, this includes:
	1. 32 Judicial Reviews. To date, the LSC has lost one case, brought by the Law Society. six others have been discontinued.
	2. Nine Procurement challenges. Of these, one has been decided in the LSC's favour and one has been withdrawn.
	The LSC have five cases listed in the week commencing 8 November and another listed on 4 and 5 January. No other cases have been given hearing dates yet.
	The LSC has an in-house legal team and it also instructs counsel where necessary on particular cases. The LSC in-house lawyers do not have a computerised time recording system and where no claim for costs is to be made by the LSC, a breakdown of the time spent by the in-house legal team has not been prepared. In addition, the LSC has not yet paid for all of the work done by counsel and so we therefore do not currently hold the information requested.

Transparency Section

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he plans to place his ministerial meeting information on the Government's transparency website.

Michael Moore: Ministerial meetings data for the Scotland Office was placed on the Government's transparency website on 29 October 2010. This information will be updated quarterly in line with Cabinet Office guidelines.

Transparency Section

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he plans to place the  (a) business plan and  (b) details of ministerial meetings for the Scotland Office on the transparency section of the 10 Downing street website.

Michael Moore: Ministerial meetings data for the Scotland Office was placed on the Government's transparency website on 29 October 2010. This information will be updated quarterly in line with Cabinet Office guidelines.
	To date, only the business plans of the larger Government Departments have been published. This does not include any of the territorial Departments. The Scotland Office business plan for the coming period is being finalised and will be published in due course.

Revenue and Customs: Debt Collection

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the likely monetary value of payments by HM Revenue and Customs to private sector debt collection agencies calculated as a proportion of recovered debt in each of the next five years.

David Gauke: Contractual arrangements have not yet been finalised for years beyond 2010-11.
	During 2010-11 HMRC will use the services of four private sector debt collection agencies (DCAS) drawn from an existing Government framework contract. The agencies will be paid on a commission basis but actual commission rates are commercially confidential.

Work Capability Assessment: Mental Health

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many appeals relating to the fit for work decision at the initial work capability assessment for employment and support allowance claims related to a mental and behavioural disorder were upheld in  (a) Scotland and  (b) Glasgow in the most recent 12 month period for which figures are available.

Steve Webb: The following table details the results of appeals relating to the fit for work decision at the initial work capability assessment for claims between October 2008 and August 2009 related to a mental and behavioural disorder for Scotland and Glasgow. A full 12 months of data are not available because ESA only started at the end of October 2008.
	
		
			  Region  Appeals heard (to date)  Decision in favour of appellant  DWP decision upheld 
			 Glasgow 1,200 600 700 
			 Scotland 5,400 2,300 3,100 
			  Notes: 1. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 100 and as a result totals may not sum. 2. The results relate to appeals heard by the end of June 2010. 3. Glasgow is the Glasgow City local authority area. 4. Cases have been selected where the main condition reported at the start of the claim is classified as a mental and behavioural disorder.